Vegan Lemon Loaf

Most of the times I manage to avoid being around lots of non-vegan food. Especially non-vegan food that can look a bit tempting (like baked goods), but when I started my new job as a barista, I also agreed to stand next to a pastry case full of things I choose not to eat (but that look tempting all the same.)

Why do I mention this? Because that's where the inspiration for this recipe came from! I've been eyeing the lemon loaf at work for a while now, and I just knew I'd have to cure that craving. None of the other recipes I could find quite fit what I imagined, so I had to create my own version.

And boy did this lightly sweet vegan lemon loaf hit the spot. With the lemony sweet glaze and a glass of soy milk on the side, I couldn't have asked for much more from this minimal recipe. Perhaps it can fill a lemony void in your life as well.

Vegan Lemon Loaf

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper (or lightly grease the pan if not oil-free).

Combine all the wet ingredients (non-dairy yogurt through lemon juice) in large bowl and whisk until everything is incorporated.

Add dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients (starting with the flour) and fold together a few times until just incorporated. A few lumps is okay! You just want to be careful not to over mix or the bread will be tough.

Scrape the batter (it will be thick and fluffy) into your loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes or until you can insert and knife and it comes out relatively clean.

While the loaf bakes, you can make the glaze! Just mix powdered sugar and lemon juice together. If the glaze becomes too thick, add a bit of liquid to thin it out. I probably used about 2-3 tablespoons of soy milk to achieve the consistency I wanted.

Let the loaf cool, then top it with the lemon glaze and cut it into slices. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Lemon Loaf

3/4 cup plain non-dairy yogurt

6 tablespoons agave

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup cane sugar

3 tablespoons lemon zest (two medium lemons)

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon iodized salt

Lemon Glaze

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

non-dairy milk or water (to preferred consistency)

Notes

Very freezer friendly! Perfect for making ahead and snacking on throughout the week. The glaze will melt upon reheating, but is that really a bad thing?